Reverberations
by Luxuride
Summary: Oneshot, set during the Dark Knight. Batman watches as Stephens tells Barbara of her husband's passing, and Bruce contemplates how the reverberations of Gordon's death will affect Gotham.


**Reverberations  
Rating: K/K+  
Summary: Oneshot, set during TDK. Batman watches as Stephens tells Barbara of her husband's death, and Bruce contemplates how the reverberations of Gordon's death will affect Gotham.  
Characters: Bruce/Batman centric, mentions of Gordon.  
Warning: Slight spoilers for BB, bigger spoilers for TDK.  
****Disclaimer: I don't own _Batman Begins/__the Dark Knight - _Nolan is the total mastermind behind that.**

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He waited.

He had been crouched on a beam next to Jim Gordon's home for a painfully sluggish hour, staring coldly at the closed door below him. His muscles ached from his prolonged rigid position, but his mind was too numb to command a change.

He had arrived here as soon as he could. With Gordon gone, he felt the heaviness of a responsibility to watch and protect the household he had unintentionally and inadvertently cursed.

He felt hollow, and his chest flared with the indisputable pang of loss – something he was very familiar with.

He had considered Jim Gordon a friend, even if he had more the less only ever spoken to him while masked in a façade. Whether it was the billionaire playboy at a fundraiser or the masked crime fighter Gordon had allied with, he had only ever just been _Bruce _with the man once. Memories of that day were painfully haunting, but Gordon had been a figure of hope for on that dark day. The man was genuine, unlike the other detectives had been.

Perhaps that was why he had sought him out after returning from his so-called 'death'. He had known that the man wouldn't have been corrupted, for he truly wanted what was best for Gotham. Sure, everyone saw Harvey Dent as the 'White Knight' who was Gotham's last hope, but Bruce knew whom the real hero was. Dent hadn't risked his family nor given his life for the hope of healing in this corrupt city.

Bruce's jaw tightened, and his fists clenched. He knew that his knuckles were probably blanched underneath his gloves, but he didn't care.

What would happen to Gotham? Gordon's death would send negative reverberations through the entire city. It had certainly lost on of its finest officers. Bruce knew that Batman could not fight crime alone, not without his closest alliance on the inside helping. No one else in the MCU building cared - most of those men and women were corrupt or lacked a drive for justice.

Once again, with the exception of Alfred, Bruce was alone. Once again he had lost someone at the hands of a gunman, and he had been helpless to stop it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a squad car pull up and Detectives Stephens and Ramirez step out. Bruce watched as the man approached the door and silently acknowledged that he was one of the few honest cops left. This man had been Gordon's best friend, the one person he had fully trusted on the squad. She, on the other hand, seemed to have slightly askew priorities.

Barbara answered the door, and Bruce saw the horrified recognition flicker over her face almost instantly. She ushered their child back inside before she let the first sob escape her throat. "No…"

Stephen's offered his condolences, "I'm so sorry." He hugged her as she sobbed, unable to do or say anything. He looked grief-stricken as well, while Ramirez mutely kept her eyes lowered to the cracked steps of the porch.

Bruce didn't move a muscle nor release the breath he was holding, but a gust of wind snatched his cape. It was a quiet noise, but she knew. She pushed away from Stephens almost roughly as he fumbled for his gun, and even in the darkness, her eyes flew directly to him.

"_You!" _ There was so much spite in that one word that he nearly recoiled. Her voice cracked as she shouted angry words at him. "I know you're there! _You _did this!_ You_ brought this craziness on us!" Her shouts soon dissolved into heartfelt sobs.

Her words held more truth than Bruce cared to admit. Batman _had _pushed the envelope when he had tracked down Gordon after returning to Gotham. If he hadn't, Gordon would still have his life.

Gotham would still have her unrecognized hero and, truly, her hope.

Harvey Dent, along with the rest of the court, would still have someone to hand over good cases and the guilty criminals to prosecute.

The MCU would still have its honest Lieutenant, and Detective Stephens would still have his buddy.

Barbara would still have her husband; Jimmy and his sister would still have a father.

Batman would still have his closest ally.

Bruce would still have whom he considered a friend and an inspiration.

He swallowed thickly as his gut twisted in guilt. Batman should have been more aware; he should have been able to stop the Joker before he had had the opportunity to take Gordon's life. Bruce should have taken off the mask and revealed himself before it progressed to this point.

This was it. His time in the suit was fading to a close. Batman was done, just as he had told Dent earlier. Alfred had – of course – been right, yet again. Batman hadn't found his limits, but Bruce had. He couldn't stand by and allow more people to die, especially with Rachel currently named as the next victim. No, he would not allow this madness to progress further.

He refused to lose anyone else to this monster; and Rachel, Alfred, and Lucius were the only people close to him that he had left.

Unfortunately, it was too late for Gordon, and for that Bruce could only hang his head in shame.

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**-fin-**

**A/N: It's kind of short. I originally only intended for this to be a drabble, but things got slightly out of hand. **

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